In research based on survey data from seven predominantly Muslim nations (Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia) the authors found that Islamic orthodoxy -- identified as the desire to implement Islamic law (shari'a) as the sole legal foundation of their nation -- is associated in every country with support for such progressive economic reforms as increasing the responsibility of government for the poor, reducing income inequality, and increasing government ownership of businesses and industries.
Islam is at the heart of an emerging global anti-hegemonic culture that combines diasporic and local cultural elements, and blends Arab, Islamic, black and Hispanic factors to generate "a revolutionary black, Asian and Hispanic globalization, with its own dynamic counter-modernity constructed in order to fight global imperialism. (say what!)
Friday, July 07, 2006
the egalitarian face of islamic orthodoxy
In research based on survey data from seven predominantly Muslim nations (Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia) the authors found that Islamic orthodoxy -- identified as the desire to implement Islamic law (shari'a) as the sole legal foundation of their nation -- is associated in every country with support for such progressive economic reforms as increasing the responsibility of government for the poor, reducing income inequality, and increasing government ownership of businesses and industries.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
muslims march with latino community - july 18th
Towards that end, IMAN’s IRC will be joining Centro sin Fronteras and other key grassroots Latino organizations and media outlets in several weeks to mobilize for a march on Wednesday July 18th. Many key social justice issues concerning the fate of millions of undocumented peoples have yet to be resolved and the call for justice, mercy and human dignity must continue to be heard from all our communities. IMAN feels compelled to make certain that the Muslim voice remains loud and clear on these issues.
Wednesday July 18th
7:45am-2pm
Immigration Rights Struggle Continues
Bus Leaves 7:45am-Returns 2pm
From New IMAN Office
2744 W. 63rd Street
Chicago, IL
irc@imancentral.org
www.imancentral.org
773.434.4626
Reserve a Seat Today!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
terry howcott
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
su-shi simplified
african aspects of the puerto rican personality
Monday, July 03, 2006
ranks of latinos turning to islam are increasing
"when in the course of human events..."
Planet Grenada:
what to the slave is the fourth of july?
for the fourth of july
"querido fbi"
black loyalists
Sunday, July 02, 2006
egypt and the shias
I'm rehashing some of this, because I recently came across the following article from Al-Ahram: Egypt: Sunni but Shia inclined which discusses the role of Shia Islam to the history of Egypt.
Grenada's past:
sushi revisited: part one
sushi revisited: part two
mumia abu jamal: hispanics, latin america and the struggle against the empire
See also: mumia abu jamal - death blossoms
a "new" look at engagement?
Friday, June 30, 2006
better formatting?
Thursday, June 29, 2006
the south park where chef becomes muslim (the comeback)
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
the one who got away
Also, it's funny that I'm getting into this at all because I also recently found out that Grenada is even less anonymous than I thought it was. Anyway... I have some posts on the back burner and I'm still figuring out life stuff. More later.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
amish drug rings or why profiling is really stupid
For example, when I was in high school I had the sense that for some of my white classmates, shoplifting was almost a "rite of passage". When they went to the stores, no one was paying particular attention to them, and they could nab things with a certain amount of confidence and impunity. After all, why would anyone suspect a fifteen-year old white kid?
I thought I'd share with you my two "favorite" examples of how this logical flipside of profiling can lead to some rather spectacular misdeeds.
The first is an Amish drug ring. Yes, you heard me correctly. An Amish drug ring. Apparently from 1992 to 1997, two Amish youths had entered into an arrangement with a local motorcycle gang and sold $100,000 worth in cocaine to youths in the Philadelphia area. This was possible, precisely because the police would generally ignore the Amish. After all what could they be up to in their buggies and hats?
The second example happened after 9/11. Everywhere in the U.S. , Middle Easterners/Muslims were obviously being singled out as a threat. Security in many public places was elevated and racial profiling was becoming more blatant. The amazing thing is that in this atmosphere of heightened attention to certain ethnic groups, where people can't even bring cigarette lighters or nail clippers onto airplanes, a fifteen-year old white kid still manages to fly a plane into a building!
If we really want to be safe and secure, it means (among other things) looking objectively at the world and not taking for granted that certain demographic groups are innocent and harmless while other groups are scary and threatening. We have to be willing to look objectively at the world with fresh eyes instead of taking the prejudiced (and intellectually lazy) route of merely rounding up the "usual suspects".
Monday, June 26, 2006
woman of color blog
www.brownfemipower.com
And check out her post: reclaiming space for a brief but intense expressive piece which puts patriarchy and life/death in the Middle East in perspective.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
what would a white mosque be like?
"sing dis song. doo dah, doo dah!"
By the rivers of Babylon‚—
there we sat down and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the willows there
we hung up our harps.
For there our captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
How could we sing the LORD's song
in a foreign land?
Psalm 137:1-4
I started this post over a week ago and I had intended to talk about how Muslims might make sense of the Psalms (and the Torah and the Gospel) which are mentioned in the Quran as other examples of revelation. But I think I'll save that larger discussion for later. Instead I'll just share a few thoughts on a more specific issue.
The above passage from the Psalms is one of the most intriguing for me. Firstly, it is probably among the more ancient songs which you'll ever hear on the radio. Don McClean (more famous for the song American Pie) recorded a version of this song in the form of a round simply called Babylon. A second version with was composed by the Rastafarian group, the Melodians as Rivers of Babylon and was subsequently covered by other artists.
The second reason why the above passage interests me is because I was really impressed by how the comedy film maker Mel Brooks uses it in a famous scene from Blazing Saddles. (warning: crude language). His films have a huge amount of silly humor, but he can be deep when he wants to be.
juan cole on the miami group
But contrast the grandstanding of Alberto Gonzales on this group of poor unarmed ghetto folk with the way in which the Robert J. Goldstein case was treated. He actually had the bombs in his house and was going to blow up Floridians. No press called him a "Jewish" terrorist and no questions were ever raised about his possible international links.
Friday, June 23, 2006
miami and the seas of david
But there the similarities pretty much end.
First of all, the group doesn't seem to be Muslim in any sense (But "lucky" for me, they are mostly Afro-Caribbean... Haitian and Bahamian). The group is called the Seas of David and they have a "militant" vibe but are more Bible-based. Perhaps they just hinted at being Muslim so that the FBI-agent who was pretending to be from Al-Qaedah would be more willing to work with them? I don't know.
Some of the members of the group are also described as "teenagers" or "young adults" and no weapons or bomb-making materials were found by the FBI which makes me wonder how seriously we should take the whole thing. I'm not saying that no wrong-doing occurred. The group had apparently gone as far as shooting (photographs of) various targets in the Miami area. But they were never actually in touch with Al-Qaedah. I seriously pray that the judge, jury, etc. looks at the situation with wisdom. By all means, punish them as appropriate. But I hope the government isn't ruining the lives of a group of harmless poor black teenagers (if that's what they are) just so that the FBI can look good.
It will be interesting to see how the story develops. Will American society treat "Christian" terrorists differently from "Muslim" terrorists? And in any case, when is the last time that white Christian militants got on the FBI's bad side?
Grenada's past:
eric robert rudolph
iraq and al qaeda, america and the kkk
nammu muhammad?
Thursday, June 22, 2006
vote nammu mohamed
Nammu Mohamed, candidate for County Council in Richland County, South Carolina, is focusing his campaign on the needs of local families. "Families and children in Richland County need more than just words from the council, they need action," said Mr. Mohamed. "From jobs to education to juvenal justice, the county has let the people down long enough. It's time to elect a defender of children and families to the county council."
I honestly, don't know if Nammu is Muslim but given his last name, you kind of have to wonder.
It kind of makes sense. After all, green is the color of Islam. And for past Planet Grenada articles on the connections between the Green Party and Muslims or Muslim causes, you might want to check out:
the spiritual left
khalil bendib
malik rahim
the green party supports divestment
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
sleeper cell (part 2)
Michael Ealy stars as an African-American Muslim FBI agent who is working undercover in a terrorist cell. I think the premise had a lot of promise, and the show is entertaining so far. It has its interesting bits. But to be honest, I'm not totally geeked about the series.
DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU PLAN TO SEE THE SERIES
Simply by virtue of having to tell a story over a long period of time about a small central cast, the writers had to flesh out the Muslim characters and give them different backstories. So it's portrayal of Muslims almost couldn't help but be more humane and realistic than the typical stock terrorist villan which usually populates this type of story. The terrorist cell consists of: A Bosnian who saw his entire family being butchered by Serbs. An ex-skinhead from France who found Islam through his Morroccan wife. A young white American with liberal parents (clearly modelled on John Walker Lindh). The head of the cell is Saudi (Although for most of the series, his background is not specified, and during work hours he passes as a Sephardic Jew. This character is by far the most cartoonish).
In general, most of the Muslim characters are portrayed as deeply conflicted and contradictory in matters of religion. From the very first episode, we see the members of the cell hanging out in strip clubs, drinking. We find that they raise funds by dealing in heroin, child prostitution and pirated DVDs. The French Muslim is married but commits adultery with little restraint (At one point, he has sex with the mother of one of the other terror cell members).
We even see the "good" Muslim FBI agent order (and presumably drink) beer in a bar as a part of an assignment given to him by the terror cell. On top of that (and this takes us into a whole other level of issues) the "good" successful Black Muslim FBI agent also starts a sexual relationship with a white Catholic beautician (a "single" mother who later turns out to be married). We later meet one of his former girlfriends, an African-American women with a successful career in the State Department but we are never told explicitly why their relationship didn't work out.
Another level of contradiction appears when the members of the cell actually kill a genuine mujahid. In fact, pretty much all the pious (non-terrorist, non-drinking, non-fornicating) Muslim characters of any significance (a mainstream Yemeni scholar, a white American who fought to defend Muslims in Bosnia, a young Afghan boy who spent time in Guantanamo) end up dead by the end of whatever episode focuses on them. It makes it seem as if the "subliminal" message behind the series is: Compromise or die.
As I said in the beginning, this is definitely better than most Hollywood portrayals of Muslims (e.g. see Planet of the Arabs). And it is definitely a huge step to have a television series with an African-American Muslim lead character, and with actual Muslims involved both in front of and behind the camera. At the same time, there is definitely room for improvement.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
father's day
Friday, June 16, 2006
"a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens"
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead
I'm still reading Foucault's Pendelum. It's going a bit slowly. I'm starting to see why it was compared to the Da Vinci code. The Plan is unfolding and the characters are already talking about the Templars and the Holy Grail. One character has already died (apparently at least) for "knowing too much".
The above quote from Margaret Mead is usually put on posters or stickers or coffee mugs, in general to support the optimistic idea that individuals can make a difference. I just wanted to mention that in the course of reading this novel about powerful organizations working behind the scenes to manipulate world events, it occurs to me that the same quote supports a pessimistic and conspiratorial view of history as well. "A small group of thoughtful, committed citizens" could be your favorite charity or it could be Skull and Bones. It all depends on the agenda.
Now that I think about it, this reminds of the divisions used by the "Five Percenters". 85% of the population are the ignorant, deaf, dumb and blind masses of people who are exploited by those in power. 10% of the population who know the truth but use their knowledge to exploit the 85%. And finally, 5% are the poor righteous teachers who know the truth and work to "civilize" 85% and give them "knowledge of self".
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
some cubans are converting to islam
El Nuevo Herald
A small number of Cubans have embraced Islam, gathering for prayers and attending religious events mostly sponsored by Iranian diplomats in Havana, one of the converts says.
Some Havana residents place the total number of converts at 300; others, at 3,000. What's certain is that about 70 usually attend the gatherings hosted by the Iranian diplomats.
''We are a small community that struggles on. . . . Many people associate Muslims with a not-very moderate Islam, but we are very moderate,'' said Alí Nicolás Cossío, a former foreign ministry official who now reports for the Voice of Islam, the official Iranian radio station.
'The community owes much to the embassies' moral and human support, and the Iranian Embassy -- the only Shiite mission -- stands out in that regard,'' Cossío told El Nuevo Herald in a telephone interview from his home in Havana.
There are about 16 Arab diplomatic missions in Havana, Cossío said, but the Iranian embassy plays the leading role in contacts with the local Muslims.
SLATE OF ACTIVITIES
The mission created a writing contest about Iranian history, hopes to set up a ''reflection group'' on Islamic subjects and earlier this month hosted a reception to mark the anniversary of the birth of the prophet Mohammed.
The Communist Party's Department of Religious Activities has appointed an official to work as liaison with the converts, even though the Cuban government has long been leery of outside religious groups as potentially undermining its control over the island and its people.
''An interesting dilemma,'' said Daniel Alvarez, an expert on Islam at Florida International University. ``If these Cubans are looking for support and [the Cuban government] acts against them, the Iranians might see that as an anti-Muslim gesture.''
AID THE NEEDY
''The other aspect is the issue of human solidarity,'' Alvarez said.
``The Koran says that if someone asks a Muslim for help, there is an obligation to go to the aid of the needy. And if the needy is a Muslim, the obligation is even greater.''
Religious practices have risen sharply in Cuba since the early 1990s, when an economic crisis buffeted its people and after the government abandoned its official atheism.
Foreign religious groups regularly send humanitarian aid, which attracts more local followers.
NUMBERS NOT PRIORITY
Cossío said the new Muslim converts ``are in favor of a community with values that are more cultural than material. We are not interested in growth in numbers but in growth in human quality.''
Cuban leader Fidel Castro's government has long maintained good relations with most Muslim countries. It strongly supported Yasser Arafat, the late leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and had close contacts with former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Cuba also has close political and trade links to Iran, which is predominantly Shiite.
Back in the late 1970s, Havana hosted so many embassies from Arab countries that the diplomatic missions, with the Cuban government's permission, created a group, the Arab Union of Cuba, and obtained a meeting place.
HAVE SOUGHT LINKS
The new Muslim converts have tried to establish links to the Arab Union, according to knowledgeable Cubans in Havana. But the union considers itself a lay organization and has not provided them with space for religious services.
There's an ''official'' mosque -- within the Arab House -- a restaurant-meeting hall in Old Havana sponsored by the Office of the Havana Historian Eusebio Leal.
But Cossío said that's only for diplomats and foreigners.
REQUEST FOR MOSQUE
So the converts are now asking for permission to build a mosque in Havana.
''Cuba is the only Latin American country without a mosque, and where there's no mosque it is very difficult to establish social exchanges,'' Cossío said.
For now, though, that would seem unlikely. For years, the Islamic diplomatic community asked for one but had to resort to makeshift prayer halls in diplomatic compounds. And Cuba has been all but barring other religions from building new temples.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Sunday, June 11, 2006
cuban hip-hop: desde el principio
Also check out from Grenada's past (related to Cuban and Puerto Rican rap):
vamos a rapiar: latinos and hip-hop
boricua rappers drop anti-imperialist album
the reyes brothers
ricanstuction
yo! pbs raps
"querido fbi"
Friday, June 09, 2006
blacks from the muslim world
re-reconquista
p.s. Just so that there is no confusion, none of the above should be construed as a criticism of Haroon or Umar. I don't have any problem with them, just with the attitude they allude to in their blogs.
the subtle racism of latin america
In this case, Moore discusses the roots of racism in Latin America, and traces its distinctive features to the Arab conquest of the Iberian Peninsula:
The Arab-Spanish-Latin American pattern was far more permissive of interracial sex and incorporating racial differences, but, Moore adds, not without its own light-skinned hierarchy. Moore asserts that racial mixing was a very normal occurrence in the Arab world; socially acceptable racial mixing, however, only goes in one direction. Moore postulates the existence in Latin America of a "racial philosophy of eugenics" that encourages a "unilateral … sexual commingling between white [or light skinned] males and the females of the physically conquered and socially inferior race."
Actually, this characterization race relations in the Arab world puts an interesting spin on some other links I found recently about Muslims and Latinas.
"'x-men' is not a cleverly named documentary about the nation of islam..."
"... If you go expecting anything of that nature, you will be extremely disappointed."Or at least that's what Huey Freeman of the Boondocks said in his own review of the first X-Men film. But I'm not sure if Huey has ever been more wrong. In the current political climate, it would be difficult for any film about mutants who are met with widespread paranoia and face increased government scrutiny to not also evoke the challenges faced by another group whose name also begins with the letter "M".
For example, consider Magneto's words to Professor X at the end of the first film:
But you know that it is a war, old friend. And to win a war it takes the will to fight it at all costs, by any means necessary. And for that reason, I will always have the advantage. No matter how you trap me, how I am contained.Or the exchange which occurs when the blue-skinned mutant Mystique is being questioned by a government official:
The Interrogator: Raven?
Mystique: I don't answer to my slave name.
The Interrogator: Raven Darkholme? That's your real name. Or has he convinced you that you don't have any family?
Perhaps a future DVD release of the films will include a deleted scene of the Juggernaut selling bean pies?
And we can go further... Many of the characters literally and metaphorically represent various Others. We all know... Magneto is a Malcolm X (literally a Holocaust survivor). Professor Xavier is Martin Luther King Jr. and Hispanic (Xavier is definitely a Spanish name but Professor X seldom shows a "Latin tinge" except for the Marvel 1602 series where he is renamed Carlos Javier and explicitly made a Spaniard). In the film X2, "Iceman" Bobby Drake was 'gay' (He came out to his parents as a mutant) and in X3 that role was played by "Angel" (bare-chested, flying around with wings, his father discovers his mutant status in the bathroom).
But I am definitely not the first person to point out that the X-Men mythos is really a huge fable about racism, anti-semitism and other forms of prejudice:
Morpheus Reloaded: Beyond Children of the Atom: Black Politics, White Minds and the X-Men
blackprof.com: X-MEN III: A Story about Race and Sexuality?
X-Men, Emerson, Gnosticism by Geoff Klock
Malcolm X Men
X-Men screenplay
Grenada's past:
black comic books
race and dc comic books
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
number of the beast
This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six.
-The Revelation of St. John, 13:18
Today's date is 6/6/06 according to the Gregorian calendar which, based on the above Bible verse, has a certain sinister theological significance for some folks. I will accordingly, share six different comments that sort of fit under the general umbrella.
1. The remake of The Omen (a film about the anti-Christ as a child) is opening in theaters today. The filmakers are definitely trying to capitalize on the whole 6/6/06 co-incidence. I was surprised that they even attempted a remake. Along with The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby, the original Omen is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. It is definitely a horror classic, as is and in my opinion, it holds up pretty well over the years. On the other hand, I wouldn't say the same thing about the other two films in the trilogy which were really dated. I definitely think that The Omen II and the Final Conflict would be improved with a more contemporary feel.
2. One of the things that appeals to me about how the Quran treats certain subjects is that it just sticks to the essentials. This is especially true about eschatology ("last things"). We are told that there will be a Last Day and that our deeds will be weighed in the end. And these events are described in vivid cataclysmic terms which move and inspire individuals to refelction and action. But the Quran doesn't give the kind of details which would encourage useless speculation on the subject. (like the Left Behind series, or the Omen movies, etc.)
At the same time, I should be the clear that the above comments are specific to the Quran. If we go to the hadith, we can find a basis for a pretty rich and detailed Islamic eschatology which includes the Dajjal (the false Christ) the Second Coming of Jesus, the Mahdi, Gog and Magog, and even Islamic versions of the Beast and the Rapture doctrines as well. I would just argue that they are less central, at least in Sunni Islam.
3. The Revelation of St. John is at times a hard text to decipher. And Christians haven't really been able to agree among themselves on how to interpret it. The terms Amillenialism, Premillenialism and Postmillenialism are often used to describe different Christian understandings of the end-time. One of the more interesting interpretations is known as Preterism which holds that many or all of the Biblical prophecies about the endtimes were essentially fulfilled in the First century. Under this interpretation, the Revelation of St. John is more like a coded political tract than the surrealist nightmare of the literalist. For the Preterist, the book is about the end of the Mosaic dispensation, the destruction of the temple, the fall of Jerusalem and the persecution of the early Christians by the Romans. In fact, according to some calculations, Nero's name can be seen to correspond to the number 666.
4. In both Hebrew and Arabic, there are conventions which allow letters to be given numerical values. And so in Jewish and Muslim cultures, there is a tradition of taking texts and "doing arithmetic" on them to see another level of meaning. In the case of Hebrew this is called gematria. In Arabic it is called abjad. Those who utilize gematria might argue that if two words from the Torah have the same numerical value it could indicate connections between the related concepts. And a common use of abjad (the most common I've seen, anyway) would be the use of "786" as an abreviation for "Bismillah Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim" (In the name of God, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate) in order to avoid writing the name of God. (Not unlike how orthodox Jews use "G_d" in writing).
Also, somewhat controversially, Rashad Khalifa claimed that he had used a similar method to uncover a mathematical miracle in the Quran which establishes its divine origin. He is a controversial figure, mainly for three reasons: 1) he took a "sola scriptura" approach and ended up emphasizing the Quran to the exclusion of the hadith. 2) He believed in his own method so much that when it turned out some sections of the Quran didn't fit his theories, he rejected those verses instead of rejecting his theories. And 3) In the end, he himself claimed to be a rasul, a messenger of Allah after Muhammad (saaws).
I think it is possible to find a number of interesting mathematical facts one can mention about the Quran, and if that helps sustain and strengthen someone's faith then masha Allah. But in general, moderation and caution are also important, especially if the mathematical methods lead to questionable conclusions.
5. Early followers of the Bab (A Persian religious figure who claimed to be the Mahdi, and who is considered a forerunner by the Bahai Faith) were also into abjad. If you are interested in Babi/Bahai issues, apparently there are some Babi abjad-related prophecies
which the Bahai faith failed to satisfy. At least, that's the argument some Babis make.
6. And finally, I'm still reading Foucault's Pendelum. I just finished a passage where the narrator is trying to guess the password on his friend's computer (and the friend happens to be a religious fanatic of sorts) and so one of the possibilities he tries is 666. The book is interesting but a little slow-going. Umberto Eco is a dense writer and he makes me want to check Wikipedia every other page in order to make sure I "get" all the terms and references.
UK Submitters: Mathematical Miracle of the Koran
The Straight Dope: What's up with 666, the "mark of the beast"?
Sunday, June 04, 2006
more on perennialism
Basically, I believe that God is eternal and that the human condition (including our basic spiritual needs) is more or less unchanging. So if a religion truly satisfied those needs thousands of years ago, then it should still be able to "work" today. If a religion was ever true, then it is "always" true. That is a bit of an oversimplification, but that's where my sympathies are. (see for example, qurbani)
Saturday, June 03, 2006
summit of latino and african american race relations
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Najee Ali (323) 350-1065
FIRST ANNUAL SUMMIT OF LATINO AND AFRICAN AMERICAN RACE RELATIONS
Who: Reverend Al Sharpton, National Action Network
Christine Chavez, Granddaughter of Caesar Chavez
Gloria Romero, State Senator, 24th District
Roosevelt Dorn, Mayor of Inglewood, CA
Eric Perrodin, Mayor of Compton, CA
Leticia Vasquez, Mayor of Lynwood, CA
Najee Ali, Project Islamic Hope
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Political Commentator
Victor Field, Publisher, Latino Publications
What: 1st Annual National Summit of Latino and
African American Relations
When: Saturday, June 3, 2006
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Media Check-in Open At 6 p.m.
Where: Omar Social Hall
1025 Exposition Blvd
Los Angeles CA, 90008
Vermont & Exposition
Public
Information: Free of cost to the public. Early arrival suggested.
Background:
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles is experiencing a low level race riot between Latinos and Blacks. With racially motivated fights in the prison system and the public schools, the tensions among Latinos and Blacks has elevated to an all time high with the very real potential of spreading.
This dialogue, hosted by the Reverend Al Sharpton and Christine Chavez, is a first step in addressing the issues that are equally important to both groups immigration, jobs, and gang violence
so many books, so little time
Yesterday I went to Border's again and almost used up the gift card. I got "Foucault's Pendelum" by Umberto Eco (I'd heard of the book before but now that it's being marketed as a "thinking man's Da Vinci Code" I got more interested. ... Yes, I realize they are pandering but I guess I'm a sucker for that sort of thing). I also got "Islam, Fundamentalism and the Betrayal of Tradition" which is a collection of pieces by Western Muslim scholars and "The African-American Writer's Guide to Successful Self-Publishing" (in case I ever get around to writing a book).
personal note
Black-Latino Relations and the Public Discourse
Friday, June 02, 2006
celebrating puerto rico's black heritage
chavez brings hope to afro-venezuelans
Thursday, June 01, 2006
understanding pickaninnies and improving the race
"that's wells, not ellison, in case you feel like being cute again."
At one point, after describing how the central villain (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) has been difficult to catch and is an "invisible man" Fishburne says to Crudd: "That's Wells, not Ellison, in case you feel like being cute again."
I'm sure I'm over-analyzing this (at least, I wouldn't claim that the author of the screenplay had any of this in mind) but I think it's more than just a coincidence that Ralph Ellison's novel about an African-American man who is hidden and ignored and H.G. Well's science-fiction novel about a man who is literally invisible share the same title. Invisibility (secrecy, hiding) is a major component of the Black condition. For example, Afro-Latino invisibility is almost a cliche at this point.
Check out: Afro-Colombians:'Invisible' People Strive to Survive War, Racism by Saeed Shabazz, Mestizaje and the Mexican Mestizo Self: No hay Sangre Negra, So There is No Blackness by Taunya Lovell Banks, In Peru, Afro-Descendants Fight Ingrained Racism, Invisibility by Angel Paez and then invisibility blues and tuning out blackness
But it actually goes deeper than that... a few years ago I wrote a poem which started off with the 'joke' that from time to time, all the Black people in the world have secret meetings where we review and plan for all the various manifestations and expressions of Black culture. (e.g. "we decide what sounds will drip down from ghetto blasters to suburban frat parties for the next ten years") And in the middle of working on that piece I started to come up with example after example of how secrecy and hiding show up as themes in black history. (e.g. "we hid pyramid construction instructions in hieroglyphics and guarded them with mummy curses", "we hid getaway plans inside of gospel hymns" "we hid orishas under white-washed saints" etc.) In a Western context (especially under slavery) where Black existence is precarious, it makes sense that we would place a premium on being able to communicate among ourselves without being understood by others.
In working on this poem, what really surprised me is how far back it was possible to take this idea. We can even go back to the most ancient Black man of the Western Canon, namely Noah's son Ham, and read these themes into his story. Specifically, Ham's 'original sin' was that he "uncovered his father's nakedness", in other words, he revealed something which should have remained hidden, and as a result his descendents were cursed with slavery. And so for me, Ham's parting advice to his children was "Not every true thing need be told".
Of course, the above description only goes so far, and is only true from a certain vantage point. I wouldn't want to essentialize and romanticize Black invisibility. We should just acknowledge that it plays a large role, but then ultimately move past it.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
the wrath of farrakhan
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
jesus isn't magic
Monday, May 29, 2006
the native orientalists aka "it's easy out here for a sell-out"
best of friends, worlds apart
When I first skimmed this article I thought it was a gimicky human-interest story, but after rereading it, I saw that it was more nuanced than that. It gets into both the positive and negative aspects of race relations in Cuba and looks at the factors which can "guide" Cuban immigrants (whether black or white) to find a place in the US' system of racial identity.
The article made me think of an uncle who once told me that white Cubans were the most racist people on Earth. I would have expected a piece like this to oversimplify and paint a picture of two best friends living in a racial utopia coming to the US and suddenly growing apart. But the article did a half-way decent job of showing that many of the attitudes held by white Cubans in Miami weren't just a result of Americanization but came with them in their luggage (especially when presenting the perspective of Bill Brent, the former Black Panther living in Cuba).
Friday, May 26, 2006
terms of use
(Actually, the guy posing in the above picture is a pretty cool and amazing artist in his own right named Umi Vaughan. He's from Oakland but last I heard he was chillin' in Cuba, presumably working on an anthropology doctorate. If I get my thoughts together I'll say more about him, an interesting guy. Se hizo santo!).
Thursday, May 25, 2006
daara j brings rap back to its african roots
Despite the urgent nature of the material, ''Boomerang" is brimming with optimism. Daara J -- which means ''school of life" -- weds buoyant Afro-Cuban rhythms, crisp hip-hop grooves, and soulful R&B vocals to lyrics that tumble out in a celebratory cultural stew of French, English, Spanish, and their native Wolof.
The album's title refers to the group's belief that hip-hop was, if not born, at least seeded in Africa. ''When we were taken from Africa to be slaves and sent to all parts of the world, a form of rap called tasso, which is rhythm-based storytelling, already existed," explains Freddy. ''When it left the motherland, it remained dormant for a while. And then one day it was awakened. African-Americans forgot where it originally came from. It was a natural evolutionary process for it to come back to Africa, where we have developed it further!"
an apology to james yee
While Yee was stationed in Guantanamo as a chaplain to the detainees, he was charged with spying, threatened with the death penalty, put in solitary confinement, and tortured until the Army decided to drop the charges. He subsequently resigned his commission. If you are unfamiliar with his story, I urge you to listen to him or read his account at Democracy Now! . He has just published a book about his experiences called For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire.
Monday, May 22, 2006
juan cole on the da vinci code
Sunday, May 21, 2006
the religious left is back
gangs claim their turf in iraq
The Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings and Vice Lords were born decades ago in Chicago's most violent neighborhoods. Now, their gang graffiti is showing up 6,400 miles away in one of the world's most dangerous neighborhoods -- Iraq.
There are at least two sides to this: What are the implications of having gang-affiliated soldiers in Iraq? (But actualy, this doesn't seem to be a big concern because in Iraq, the American soldiers, even those in rival gangs, are united by a common enemy.) The larger issue is what happens in urban areas when gang members go back home with military know-how and access to equipment? Can we say blowback?
us secretly backing warlords in somalia
The latest clashes, last week and over the weekend, were some of the most violent in Mogadishu since the end of the American intervention in 1994, and left 150 dead and hundreds more wounded. Leaders of the interim government blamed U.S. support of the militias for provoking the clashes.
The country has a weak transitional government operating largely out of neighboring Kenya and the southern city of Baidoa. Most of Somalia is in anarchy, ruled by a patchwork of competing warlords; the capital is too unsafe for even Somalia's acting prime minister to visit.
Leaders of the transitional government said they have warned U.S. officials that working with the warlords is shortsighted and dangerous.
"We would prefer that the U.S. work with the transitional government and not with criminals," the prime minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, said in an interview. "This is a dangerous game. Somalia is not a stable place and we want the U.S. in Somalia. But in a more constructive way. Clearly we have a common objective to stabilize Somalia, but the U.S. is using the wrong channels."
Many of the warlords have their own agendas, Somali officials said, and some reportedly fought against the United States in 1993 during street battles that culminated in an attack that downed two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters and left 18 Army Rangers dead.
"The U.S. government funded the warlords in the recent battle in Mogadishu, there is no doubt about that," government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari told journalists by telephone from Baidoa. "This cooperation . . . only fuels further civil war."
U.S. officials have refused repeated requests to provide details about the nature and extent of their support for the coalition of warlords, which calls itself the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism in what some Somalis say is a marketing ploy to get U.S. support.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
blog break
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
el emigrante
I could have made this another "why the devil has more vacation-time than santa" post but later changed my mind about the title. A few days ago I read an article about a racist video game called Border Patrol (available free online) where the objective was to shoot Mexicans trying to cross the border; you could kill a "drug smuggler" a "mexican nationalist" or a "breeder" (a pregnant woman with two children). In the course of looking for the game I also found Krazie Bone's Ghetto Chase where the player runs from the police through various backyards (collecting crack pipes and marijuana leaves for extra points), Kaboom! The Suicide Bombing Game (pretty self-explanatory) along with many other games in a similar vein. On some level, I've known for a while that video games have been pushing the envelope and getting more and more extreme, but I'm actually (a little) surprised by how many games out there are racist, stereotypical, crudely violent and offensive. It makes me feel old and crotchety.
For a more academic look at the border patrol game, read Buzzle.com's "Border Patrol" Video Game: Appalling Social Irresponsibility
And for a slightly different sort of game, check out El Emigrante where you get to be a Mexican mouse (Speedy Gonzalez?) on a bicycle fleeing from the police. It is different from Border Patrol in that the player identifies with the immigrant and it is different from Kaboom and Ghetto Chase in that it doesn't blatantly employ stereotypes. In contrast with the previous games, El Emigrante isn't racially offensive but it is deafeatist. (There is no way to win. The immigrant always gets caught, it's just a matter of time).
What do you think?
Monday, May 15, 2006
nommo
star spangled hypocrite
From the Black Commentator: Star spangled hypocrite features links to a Spanish version of the Star-spangled banner commissioned by the U.S. Bureau of Education in 1919, four different Spanish versions of the anthem available on the U.S. State Department's website, and news accounts of a certain someone apparently having no problem with Spanish versions of the national anthem when pandering to Latino voters on the campaign trail.
should africa look to latin america?
Sunday, May 14, 2006
jesus in india
Thursday, May 11, 2006
the third resurrection is still alive and kicking
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
as a black latina, where do i count?
When the U.S. Census recently reported that Latinos had replaced African-Americans as the largest minority in the United States, I wondered, "How can I replace myself?"
Monday, May 08, 2006
is there racism in latin america?
Sunday, May 07, 2006
from vicente guerrero to vicente fox
on being black at a latino march
I like the article overall. My one huge complaint would be the unstated assumption that being "Black" implies being non-immigrant and Anglo. I once met a woman from Ghana who used the labels "plane Blacks" and "boat Blacks" (based on how folks came to be in the United States). In general I don't like those sorts of divisions but I have noticed that a lot of times "boat Blacks" (in my head, I sometimes use the term Afro-Gringos) tend to assume that there are only a small number of ways to "be Black" (i.e. those based on the experience of slavery in the United States, especially the American South, Reconstruction, the Great Migration, the Civil Rights movement and modern hip-hop culture.) And there is often a tendancy to marginalize and ignore the Black experience in other parts of the Americas, Africa, and the rest of the diaspora.
Van Jones' piece below is well-intentioned and worth reading. But his difficulties with the Spanish slogans and "Latin" (probably African) rhythms have more to do with his Anglo-ness than his Blackness
On Being Black at a Latino March by Van Jones
Friday, May 05, 2006
late first impressions of may 1st
Firstly, I think these sorts of events are amazing. It is powerful and galvanizing to think of thousands of people coming out just to affirm that they have rights and demand that they be treated fairly. I was especially impressed with how diverse the speakers were. "Of course" Mexican and Mexican-American speakers were well represented but other voices definitely made contributions.Young. Old. Male. Female. Latino. Muslim. African-American. Legal. "Illegal". And white allies from the labor movement.
Secondly, what gave me a bit more to think about was how ideologically diverse the people involved seemed to be. Immigration, affirmative-action, anti-war, pro-local economy, labor. Everyone had their issue. It made me wonder if the group of people gathered there would be able to continue to coordinate their efforts and agree what a next step would look like. To be hoest, the strategic/critical side of my brain was a little skeptical of what political changes would really come out of that particular gathering. But the friend whom I was with pointed out that its not really about that. It has more to do with letting people know that they are not alone, letting them feel empowered, letting them have a voice. The rest comes later.
A day without an immigrant
Immigrant Solidarity Network
No HR 4437 Network
A.N.S.W.E.R. and the Great American Boycott
immigration across the blogosphere
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
senzala or quilombo
natural islam
islamic anarchism?
blacks and immigration reform
In a strange twist of events leading up to the “Day Without Mexicans” protest, there was suddenly this overwhelming focus on where African Americans stood on the issue. While this focus certainly was heightened by a half-cocked Ted Hayes rollin’ into Leimert Park with Minutemen in tow, talkin’ about Black people will help immigrants build an economy in Mexico. Hayes is clearly the latest iteration of Sambo politics that advances the position of the conservative right without any concern of how crazy he really makes black people look. Of course, the media is there front and center, while a few so-called “black spokespersons” front off the whole race escalating Black/Latino tensions on a whole ‘nother front simply because some folk want to scapegoat immigrants and play up the politics of fear that permeate two already exploited communities. These Negroes are trying to do to immigrants what America did to Blacks at the end of the 19th Century when poor whites decried that Blacks were taking their jobs because of industrialization. That’s what makes this dangerous.
The fact that African Americans feel the need to take position needs to be called into question. There has been no Latino “litmus test” on HR 40 (Reparation bill) or even where Latinos stand on police abuse or jailhouse attacks on African Americans. We tend to cooperate where we can, but each community has its own issues. Yet, “are you with us” is now a prevailing inquiry among Blacks and Latinos. Certainly any group that knows the social change history of Blacks in America (including the history of the “Day of Absence” for which this protest was modeled) know that our involvement in social (and political change) is crucial. Yeah, this legislation is targeting Mexicans, but Haitians, Jamaicans, and Africans impacted by this bill. We should be allies in advocating for compassionate reform. Solidarity where possible. That’s how it’s always been.
There are deeper issues here. The concern that immigrants take jobs from black people drives the opposition. It’s a false premise that has nothing to do with immigration, and everything to do with competition. Immigrants don’t take work—they make work. They sell fruits, or flowers or other goods. Most of the jobs they fill are not jobs Blacks want. I know over three dozen upper middle class black families looking for black gardeners but can’t find one. It’s the same with housekeepers, babysitters, live-in nannies and day laborers. The competition between Black and Latinos (on all levels) stem from the networks each creates that support their desire to work and improve their communities. Only 25% of all jobs in America are advertised. The rest are “inside referrals.” Work is disappearing for African Americans because we want to be the only one on the job and put little in the job “pipeline.” Latinos refer who they know. Blacks used to do the same.
Blacks could provide enough jobs for everybody to work if they’d only support themselves. In 1965, it was Jewish businesses taking work from Blacks. In 1992, it was Koreans. Now, it’s immigrants. And opposing Blacks think they can help immigrants build their “own country.” Yeah, right? That’s pure rhetoric and the source of the confliction on this issue—an issue not really ours. Blacks can’t build their own economy here in America. We need not play the role of being victims.
Wanna know our issue? Black America’s focus should not be on who’s taking jobs, but who’s making jobs. When Blacks learn how to make work, they’ll have work. Immigration won’t even be an issue. It’s not for any other community who simply make work for their people to work.
Anthony Asadullah Samad is a national columnist, managing director of the Urban Issues Forum (www.urbanissuesforum.com) and author of 50 Years After Brown: The State of Black Equality In America. He can be reached at www.AnthonySamad.com
"when you get yourself into a situation you can't get out of..."
From the movie Traffic:
You know, when they forced Khruschev out, he sat down and wrote two letters to his successor. He said - "When you get yourself into a situation you can't get out of, open the first letter, and you'll be safe. When you get yourself into another situation you can't get out of, open the second letter". Soon enough, he gets into a tight situation, and he opens the first letter. It says - "Blame it all on me". So he blames it all on the old guy, and it worked like a charm. When he got himself into a second situation, he opened the second letter. It said - "Sit down, and write two letters..."
The full screenplay for Traffic
Monday, May 01, 2006
bunny vs. world
Friday, April 28, 2006
lift every voice and sing
Lift ev'ry voice and sing,
'Til earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list'ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on 'til victory is won.
Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
'Til now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.
"jose can you see..."
It raises a whole series of issues which I feel like I've been wrestling with for a while. Ever since after the 2004 Presidential election, when a lot of people I knew were joking around about moving to Canada (or alternatively, having the blue states secede) it struck me that there had to be a way to resolve the tension between genuine love of country and criticism of the government. My own family leaned towards the latter and so they left Cuba due to political reasons. But this time around, I felt a little angry at the people who were talking about going to Canada because of Bush. I even ended up writing a poem about the subject. How do you affirm the best parts of what it means to be American, while rejecting the harmful government policies, the racist history, the religious discrimination, etc. which are often deeply intertwined mainstream expressions of "patriotism". One line which sums up a lot of the poem went, "I love this country with the love of a mechanic: when something is broke, you fix it." Another idea had to do with being an American, but on your own terms. My parents didn't leave Cuba because they thought Spanish was an ugly language or because they preferred hamburgers and french fries to yucca and frijoles negros. They came here to be free. For me, that's what this song is about.
Lyrics to 'Nuestro Himno' ('Our Hymn')
Amanece, lo veis?, a la luz de la aurora?
lo que tanto aclamamos la noche caer?
sus estrellas sus franjas
flotaban ayer
en el fiero combate
en señal de victoria,
fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertada.
Por la noche decían:
"Se va defendiendo!"
Oh decid! Despliega aún
Voz a su hermosura estrellada,
sobre tierra de libres,
la bandera sagrada?
Sus estrellas, sus franjas,
la libertad, somos iguales.
Somos hermanos, en nuestro himno.
En el fiero combate en señal de victoria,
Fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertada.
Mi gente sigue luchando.
Ya es tiempo de romper las cadenas.
Por la noche decían: "!Se va defendiendo!"
Oh decid! Despliega aún su hermosura estrellada
sobre tierra de libres,
la bandera sagrada?
English translation:
By the light of the dawn, do you see arising,
what we proudly hailed at twilight's last fall?
Its stars, its stripes
yesterday streamed
above fierce combat
a gleaming emblem of victory
and the struggle toward liberty.
Throughout the night, they proclaimed:
"We will defend it!"
Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave
above the land of the free,
the sacred flag?
Its stars, its stripes,
liberty, we are the same.
We are brothers in our anthem.
In fierce combat, a gleaming emblem of victory
and the struggle toward liberty.
My people fight on.
The time has come to break the chains.
Throughout the night they proclaimed, "We will defend it!"
Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave
above the land of the free,
the sacred flag?
Scotsman.com: Bush pans Star-Spangled Banner
NPR: A Spanish Version of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' (listen)
"Jose can you see" reference
Thursday, April 27, 2006
the world's sixteen crucified saviors
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
the mad dervish
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
"i am become death, the destroyer of worlds"
It reminds me of the film Beneath the Planet of the Apes where those mutant humans lived underground and formed a cult which worshipped the Bomb. I think she has a point. Admittedly, we still have a ways to go. We still haven't developed mental telepathy and we don't need masks to cover our radiation-scarred faces. But I think Cobb is right. In some circles, the bomb has become an idol of sorts, like the Ark of the Covenant which the children of Israel carried into battle.
And y'all know what the Bible (or the Quran for that matter) says about idolatry.
Grenada's past:
monkey business
when keeping it real goes wrong
Good Times.
Any time you meet a payment. - Good Times.
Any time you need a friend. - Good Times.
Any time you’re out from under.
Not getting hassled, not getting hustled.
Keepin’ your head above water,
Making a wave when you can.
Temporary lay offs. - Good Times.
Easy credit rip offs. - Good Times.
Scratchin’ and surviving. - Good Times.
Hangin in a chow line - Good Times.
Ain’t we lucky we got ‘em - Good Times.
Chicago Tribune: Good times -- and bad
Reading this made me sad on multiple levels. Thirty-five years ago, Eric Monte, an African-American tv writer helped create some of the most popular and innovative movies and tv shows of the 1970s. He wrote "Cooley High" (which was the inspiration for What's Happening!) He was a co-creator of "Good Times" and he wrote for All In the Family as well. And for all his labor, he built a successful career, won an NAACP Image award, Benz and a nice house in Santa Monica.
Currently, the 62 year-old Chicago-native lives in a Salvation Army shelter. Part of his trip from A to B involved health problems (which weren't his fault) and drug addiction (which arguably was). But the sad part is that it seems like a large part of his difficulties were also a result of his efforts to fight for his integrity as a writer.
she watch channel zero
Sunday, April 23, 2006
3500 years ago...
3500 years ago, people in Egypt worshipped different Gods than we do, although some have similar stories (Osiris and Horus). When we look back upon that time, we see them in a sense as ridiculous and primitive. How could someone pray to the image of a man with a dog's head, or a man with a bird's head, and accept that as God? Or, even think that it would grant his prayers and wishes? But 3,500 years from now, if humanity still exists, then people will look back on this time, they will look at our God, and think how we worshipped a man nailed to a piece of wood. And most pitiful of all, how could we not even listen to the most basic teaching and foundation of all his work: treat others the way you wish to be treated. If we treated America the way it has treated our people, we would be called terrorists, rapists, thieves, murderers. History cannot be wiped away in the sand and forgotten.
-Immortal Technique
immortal technique: two interviews
first interview:
Immortal Technique Rock - The Boat (Part I)
Immortal Technique Rock - The Boat (Part II)
second interview:
Immortal Technique: South Central, America
Original Hip-Hop Lyrics Archive:
Immortal Technique
Grenada's past:
Immortal Technique: Volume Two
Friday, April 21, 2006
jesus radicals
Even when they call us mad, when they call us subversives and communists and all the epithets they put on us, we know we only preach the subversive witness of the Beatitudes, which have turned everything upside down —Oscar Romero
Speaking of Jesus Christ (as) being more political than is usually acknowledged, Jesus Radicals, a Christian anarchist organization is planning on having a conference:
Here in this Place: Anarchism and Christianity in our Context
August 4-5, 2006
Illinois Disciples Foundation
610 E. Springfield Avenue
Champaign, Illinois
Contact: jesusradicals AT jesusradicals.com
In addition, the Progressive Faith Blog Con is also having a real-life conference from Friday July 14 through Sunday July 16 at the Montclair State University Conference Center. It is still in the planning stages but I can say that they are putting in real effort to make the event ecumenical. If you are in the area, feel free to come regardless of religion.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
holy blood, holy grail
I've been reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail. I just finished a few days ago. The book has been getting some attention these days because the authors, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, recently lost a plagarism lawsuit against Dan Brown, the author of the Da Vinci Code. Certain themes from the Da Vinci Code were pretty clearly inspired by Holy Blood, Holy Grail except The Da Vinci Code admits that it is fiction while Holy Blood, Holy Grail is presented as non-fiction. (It seems like a basic Catch-22. If Baigent and Leigh are just doing history, then the Da Vinci Code is just an example of historically-based fiction. But if Baigent and Leigh want to take credit for their story and say that Dan Brown stole their work, on some level, it means admitting they more or less made it up.)
Baigent and Leigh argue that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and their descendents became part of European royalty (specifically the Merovingian dynasty). Furthermore, a secret society called the Priory of Sion has an elaborate master plan to place Christ's descendants into positions of political power in Europe (and possibly the world).
Some of the details of their theory are of special interest to Muslims:
1. Baigent and Leigh suggest that Jesus may have survived the crucifixion.
2. They suggest that Jesus did not claim to be God but was a human Messiah. So instead of following the typical Christian interpretation that Jesus was killed because his theological claims were blasphemous to monotheistic Jews, they argue that his claim to be the messiah, (a human hereditary priest-king) was a political threat to Imperial Rome (which is why he would have been sentenced to crucifixion in the first place).
3. In order to make Christ's message more popular in the Roman Empire, the political message was de-emphasized and replaced with anti-semitic elements. (Blaming the Jews instead of the Romans)
4. The Priory of Sion was also behind the founding of the Templars who had a long term goal of trying to unify Jews, Christians and Muslims under one system; an actual theocratic government ruled by the descendants of Jesus. As they put it:
For if Jesus were acknowledged as a mortal prophet, as a priest-king and legitimate ruler of the line of David, he might well have become acceptable to both Muslims and Jews. As king of Jerusalem, his lineal descendant would than have been in a position to implement one of the primary tenents of Templar policy - the reconciliation of Christianity with Judaism and Islam.
The authors try to bring together various threads to weave a complex story, but to be honest, they aren't always very rigorous in terms of making their argument and so some of the pieces don't hold. For example, the Priory of Sion was probably a hoax. (It seems the 'real' Priory of Sion is not a 1000 year old secret society but was founded in the 1950's by a French con artist as part of an elaborate scam). Nevertheless, the book was an interesting read, and provided some food for thought. (I was most persuaded by the idea that Christ's mission was more political than is usually acknowledged).
the da vinci code
the (real) da vinci code
angels and demons
the black stone
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
even more on immigration
Welcome to Mexicali by Marvin X
Why I Support the Latino Demonstrators by Amin Sharif
Chickenbones: Latino Immigrants, Jobs, and Civil Rights
Alt.Muslim: Muslim Voices On The Sidelines In Immigration Debate